Finding Lily
by Infinitish
Summary: Escaping from the shadow of her cousins to America, Lily Luna lost her way; that is, until a freak incident led her ten years into the past on the doorstep of her childhood home. Stranded in a time where her real self was eight years old, Lily found how much she actually valued her family and how much they valued her. —- rated T for substance abuse. Lily Luna-centric.
1. New York City, 2026

**warning**: alcoholic tendencies and substance abuse.

**disclaimer**: I do not own anything you recognize.

* * *

**Finding Lily**

_Escaping from the shadow of her cousins to America, Lily Potter lost her way, that is, until a freak incident led her ten years into the past on the doorstep of her childhood home. Stranded in a time where her real self was eight years old, Lily found how much she actually valued her family and how much they valued her._

* * *

The sun was shining brightly through the window when I woke. The familiar New York skyline was visible and I smiled briefly in that direction before stretching my arms. There was movement beside me, and I carefully turned to see that Manny Goldstein (or 'Goldie', as he insisted to be called), my boyfriend of five weeks, was awake and grinning at me. He was gorgeous; dark hair and blue eyes and a muscular body. A great shag, too. I smiled back at him.

Goldie pulled me in for a quick snog but I pulled away. The clock on the wall opposite us told me that it was already nine – I had to be at work at half past nine, and I was not going to let the boss yell her head off at me again. My boyfriend childishly pouted at me, and I made a big show of rolling my eyes at him.

I got off the bed and rushed to the bathroom where I brushed my teeth, took a quick shower while worrying about the time and got into my barmaid clothes.

That's right: barmaid. I didn't work at the Ministry like my oldest brother and I definitely wasn't a hotshot Quidditch player like my other brother. I was Lily, just Lily. I modeled for wannabe photographers in Muggle New York sometimes but mostly just distributed drinks at the _Twisted Wand _at Megissi Ann Square, the magical district in New York. I gathered money in hopes that one day I'd have enough to explore Asia. This was my life.

My own place was back at Megissi Ann Square; a small room with an even smaller kitchen and bathroom. It was a horrible flat but the only thing I could afford. So I usually just stayed at Goldie's place in Muggle Brooklyn. It was connected to the Floo Network, and fortunately for me, he paid the Floo-taxes on time. Thus I could get to work without much hassle.

My plan for the day was the same, I was going to use the Floo to get to work. I went over to Goldie who was sitting on the dining table reading the Prophet and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

"Sorry about the rush," I apologised. Goldie nodded. Then he pointed me to something in the paper.

"Says here that your brother's engaged," he informed me. I frowned. Goldie knew more than to mention my family out loud. Still, I leaned closer to have a look at the paper. And there it was: James _was_ engaged.

The accompanying picture told me a lot. His girlfriend, Ellis, sported a large diamond on her finger. She looked the same as she had when I'd last seen her – bright coppery red hair, expressive brown eyes and a perfect figure. She was photogenic, too. She was beautiful, she had a great guy who was head over heels in love with her, she had a highflying job and she was to become a Potter soon.

I sighed. Who was I kidding? I _was_ jealous of her, because it was so blatantly obvious that Ellis was going to take my place in the family.

I brushed the thought away; after all, it had been me who had decided to leave the family – go away, chart my own path. Again, who had I been trying to kid? Lily Potter was a household name in England, but there were a lot who didn't know me here in America. I wasn't going to be able to build a comfortable life here with only a name and a couple galleons and dollars to it. It was quite pointless.

I muttered a faint goodbye to Goldie and took some Floo powder in my hand. Stepping into the fireplace, I cleared my throat and said, "The Twisted Wand, Megissi Ann Sqaure!"

In a rush of ash and fire, I was standing at the fireplace at the pub. I took out my trusty Ollivander's wand and muttered a spell to clean up the grime on my clothes. After that, my eyes instinctively went to the grandfather clock by the wall, which proclaimed the time as 09:29. Heaving a sigh of relief, I announced my arrival and got to work.

My job was just that of the ordinary barmaid. I took drinks from the bartender and delivered them to the customers. I had to turn on my charm while asking for tips, but I usually didn't have to flirt for long. The men liked what the saw and rewarded me in handsome sums of money. When I was tending to a family, I talked to the kids and made them happy. When it was a couple, I stayed out of their way and satisfied, they gave me money. It was simple that way.

My thoughts were on the usual topic, whether leaving had been worth it. I had been tired of the fame surrounding my family, and I had been even more tired at being the youngest Weasley-Potter. I had tried my hardest to do the best I could; to be the best person I could be. But that was never enough. I'd become Prefect in my fifth year, but that hadn't been a big deal: Victoire, Molly, Rose, Al and Lucy had all been Prefects before me. I'd become Head Girl, but again not a big deal – Victoire and Rose had become Head Girls too, and James had become Head Boy before me.

Every profession in the wizarding world seemed to be taken, and whatever I decided to be, it wouldn't have been a big deal, because there had already been someone before me who'd gone that way. Victoire was a Healer and one of the very best. Teddy and James were Aurors. Molly was a robe designer and had her own boutique. Fred had expanded Weasley's Wizard Wheezes to four continents. Roxanne was a freelance journalist. Lucy had a great job at the Gringotts in Malaysia and Dom was a junior ambassador to the British Ministry. Rose was training to be a teacher while Louis played bass for _Lumos_, the hottest new band in the wizarding world. Al was an international Quidditch player, of course, and Hugo was training to be a lawyer like his Mum.

And I hated being the youngest.

When I had left, no one had followed me here. I'd received tons of letters telling me to come back, and I knew that Nana Weasley had cried a whole lot. But no one had bothered to tell me to come home. They were just disappointed, I guess, that I'd chosen to leave them at the first opportunity I had. I was disappointed, too, at the fact that they'd never noticed how left out I felt and how much I'd wanted to leave. Maybe if they'd realised earlier, I'd have considered staying in boring old England.

I laughed bitterly. I didn't care how hard it was in New York. Goldie was ready to support me. I'd make my own way without them.

By the time it was noon, my head was spinning. The last drink I'd had was...what, ten hours ago? I could feel myself craving, so I gingerly made my way to the bar and grabbed a bottle of firewhiskey that lay on the counter. The bartender had just entered the kitchen to grab something; I had a few minutes before he turned up. I took a look around to ensure that no one was looking, then I unscrewed the cap and took a large swig.

The drink burnt at my throat and gave me shivers, but I felt so much better. This was me. Firewhiskey was my medicine, and I didn't mind at all.

I drank some more and put the bottle down in the counter. Screwing the cap back on, I went back work. I glanced one last time at the bottle, and grinned slightly. My day had just begun.

* * *

By the time it was five, I'd finished two bottles of firewhiskey from the counter. The bartender, an ageing man named Ken, had asked me if I'd seen where the contents of the bottle had gone, and I'd told him that I didn't know. This was routine for me, and Ken was a largely unsuspecting man. I Confunded him at the end of every day just in case, so that he never noticed there being a pattern in his missing firewhiskey. While leaving, I also took a bottle with me which he didn't notice due to being Confunded. It was all good.

So when I saw no one at the counter, I took the opportunity to have another swig. Unfortunately for me, this was the wrong move.

I followed my routine as usual, but mid-drink I was interrupted by a familiar screech. "POTTER GIRL! You get out of here this instant!"

It was the landlady and my boss, Barbara. _Fuck_, I muttered to myself as I turned to guiltily face her. She was positively fuming.

"I _knew _there was someone stealing from the stores," she accused me."and there! Caught! Redhanded! I don't care how great your Daddy is in Scotland or Wales or wherever the hell you're from. You are _not _employed here anymore, Potter. Now _get out_."

Barbara was a scary lady, and she'd caused quite the scene at the pub. Everyone was looking my way. This was beyond embarrassing.

"I said, GET OUT!" Barbara repeated, and I found myself nodding meekly at the American witch. I took my purse from under the counter where the employees kept their belongings and started for the fireplace, when I was stopped by Barbara's screech.

"Clothes _off_!" she yelled at me. _What_? I turned, wondering what the hell she meant. She couldn't be serious.

She was completely serious. "Clothes off, young lady," she stated. "I'm not having an alcoholic slut strut around town with my pub's clothes. Strip down, _now_."

Oh my Godric. This lady was senile. "But–" I tried to protest, but she interrupted me.

"Do you want me to hex your clothes off, Potter?" Barbara taunted. I didn't dare look around; every person present at the pub had a mix of amusement and horror on the face. This was horrible. It was worse than my nightmares. How was I going to strip in front of so many people?

I could nearly feel tears fall from my eyes, but Barbara was angry as it is. I did not want to make her more furious. But I didn't want to be almost naked in front of so many either.

In front of me, my ex-boss raised her wand, prepared to use it to remove my clothes and summon them to her. "Wait!" I stopped her. "I'll– I'll d-do it," I said, starting to tremble.

This was horrible. It wouldn't have happened in Britain. This was so wrong. How dare she?

Thoughts whirred through my brain, but I knew I had no choice in this. I slowly took off the robes, while refusing to acknowledge the others in the pub. Tears kept falling. This was pathetic. No one even protested, didn't anyone care for witch rights? I was feeling like shit and yet I complied with Barbara's orders.

Soon, I was bare other than my black bra and pants. Barbara summoned the clothes to her, then smirked at me. "Good girl. Now get lost and don't dare to ever show me your face again. B_itch_."

I turned weakly, clutching my wand tightly. I could feel the cold now, with nothing to cover me. I glanced at the fireplace but I knew that it wasn't a good idea anymore to use the Floo Network. I was nearly naked and I couldn't risk getting burnt. I was bad at Healing spells and I doubted Goldie was much good either. I could definitely not afford any professional treatment.

So I shut my eyes, focused on 30, Millicent Hill Street, and apparated away to the bedroom in Goldie's apartment. I had clothes here; I could easily get dressed before going to Muggle New York for a drink while debating the future now that I had been fired.

When I came to the apartment, I heard a muffled laugh in the adjacent room. The bedroom door was closed, so I assumed that it was some business associate of Goldie's. Goldie worked with potions: he was more of a sniff-dealer than a potionsmaster though. He manufactured new varieties of sniff using his potion ingredients. He sold the sniff either privately like to me or to dingy wizarding pubs where the landlord sold the stuff to his customers.

I dressed fast, deciding that I could persuade Goldie to give me some of his sniff for free. I had been fired today, what better reason was there to have free sniff? I knew it was slightly addictive and highly illegal, but I wasn't an addict. I just preferred sniff to food like I preferred firewhiskey to water. It was all okay.

I wore one of my better clothes: short black dress robes that were surely going to make Goldie swoon. Then I would seduce him into giving me special sniff. It was quite easy. I made sure that my cleavage was prominent, in case Goldie had second thoughts. It was all set. I'd probably even charm him into buying me a crate of firewhiskey to last me the next two days.

I pushed open the door, and my hands instantly flew to my mouth. My jaw had dropped, unable to believe the scene in front of me,

Goldie was sitting in the couch, his back to me, besides a female with curly blonde hair. I found myself boiling: not only had I been fired, but my boyfriend was cheating on me! Goldie had his arm around the blonde, who had her head resting on his neck. This was so _wrong_.

His other hand was holding a crystal vial in which there was the new sniff that he'd refused to tell me about. I'd pestered him for days, and eventually given up when he'd snapped. Now, he was telling _her _about it.

"– and it's even so beautiful! Just look! The Pegasus feather dust really amplifies it aesthetically, doesn't it? I'm just so fascinated by it!" Goldie raved, while I fumed. The blonde was giggling.

"You know, I was really excited when my supplier told me he'd got feather dust of the last living Pegasus. I won it in a bet, did I tell you? It's the same stuff they used to use in time-turners back in the last century. One sniff and it takes you where it thinks you need to go, another sniff and it brings you back! So fascinating!" he exclaimed.

I had had enough, standing there listening to him while seeing him coddle the blonde. It was far too much. Before I knew it, words came out of my mouth. "Yes, Goldie. _So very fascinating_!_"_ I said sarcastically, causing him to turn to me with superhuman speed.

"What the hell, you bastard?" I yelled. "You were _cheating _on me? _Cheating_? What the fuck were you thinking?"

I pointed my wand at him, directing all my rage there. To my shock and utter surprise, Goldie laughed. He _laughed_.

"What, do you think I actually liked you?" he questioned. I found myself baffled. The nerve of him! "I kept you around for the sex, kid. Just like you kept me around for free sniff and firewhiskey. I never _cheated_." Goldie laughed.

"_You–_" I began, marching towards the bastard furiously. How could he think that? I genuinely liked him! Not just for the sniff!

Goldie laughed again, interrupting me. He was standing up now, hand-in-hand with the blonde who was smirking at me like she was superior.

"Goodbye, Lily," Goldie said, and with a sudden _crack_, he and the blonde disapparated from the scene.

I banged the floor angrily with my foot. This was not fair! Why did this have to happen to me? I'd been nothing but good! I'd done nothing to deserve this. The anger in me then gave in to the pain, and before I knew it, I was crying buckets.

In the two months if been in the States, I'd managed to screw everything up: my relationship with my family, my friendships, my job, and now my relationship. I had almost no money, a tiny apartment I was soon to be evicted from, nowhere to work, and barely any NEWTs to get me anywhere. Apparating or Flooing to Britain was out of question: not only was it illegal, but it was too risky. Portkeys were worth a hell lot of money and had to be scheduled in advanced. What the hell was I going to do now?

Suddenly, I missed my family. If something like this had happened back in England, everyone would've helped me out of the hole and not left until they were absolutely sure I was fine. I had nearly nothing here anymore. I knew that Goldie expected me gone with my belongings by the time he arrived home. My own apartment's rent was due tomorrow. Everything was wrong.

Why, oh why had I ever come to this shithole? Images flashed before my eyes: Teddy's turquoise hair; Dom's porcelain skin; Lucy's freckles. James' glasses that failed to hide the mischief radiating from his face. Dad and Al's green eyes; Mum's brown ones. Hugo's long nose. Nana and Granddad Weasley's loving demeanours. I missed them so much.

It's funny how much you remember the people you love the most when it feels like your world is about to fall apart. That was what happened to me.

I lifted myself up, and made my way to the drawer I'd been assigned at Goldie's house. No doubt, it would be the blonde's drawer from now on. I emptied its contents into my purse. When that was done, I stomped out of the bedroom with a murderous glance at the bed.

Outside on the couch, I spotted Goldie's new sniff. I picked it up, knowing that it would absolutely infuriate him if I took his favourite and most expensive possession away. There was nothing else I wanted to take: I would just be proving Goldie correct if I took away all the alcohol and the sniff. No, just the precious new one. That's all.

I disapparated from the living room of my ex-boyfriend's apartment and apparated into my own. The place had been gathering dust, thanks to my almost-permanent residence at Millicent Hill Street. Making my way to the cupboard, I opened it to find nothing inside – all my clothes were gone. I groaned. I'd missed the date and forgotten to pay rent. As punishment for not showing up, the landlord had obviously Vanished my clothes.

I knew there was no point in arguing with him.

Instead, I did the only thing I could. I took out Goldie's special sniff from my purse. It was worth a try, wasn't it? It could take me wherever needed to go...well, I needed to go home more than anything else. Home, I thought, as I uncorked the vial. Home.

Then I brought the vial to my nose, and inhaled long and deep. I closed my eyes, and felt the Pegasus horn dust acting. It was as though I was the eye of the storm and the wind circled me. It was happening, I thought. I was going home.

By the time the the air around me calmed down, I was feeling dizzy. I opened my eyes to see myself facing 7, Gryffindor Court, Godric's Hollow – my childhood home. Then I fainted and hit the floor.

* * *

**author's statement**: This is a Lily Potter story about time-travel ten years in the past :) I've used the fictional Pegasus horn dust as the catalyst; I do not know whether it exists in the wizarding world or not. it belongs to my imagination, as does Lily's personality.

Sniff is basically like coc-aine, mari-juana etc. but it has magical properties like it could make you feel beautiful, or smart, or make you hallucinate depending on the main ingredient. Goldie's special sniff contains Pegasus horn dust, which I consider a constituent of time-turner sand. So this one is a special sniff that physically transports you to where it feels you need to be in one sniff. So like a Portkey/time-turner mix-thingy...yeah

Megissi Ann is a play on the word 'magician' much like Diagon Alley is a play on 'diagonally'. I made it up as the magical district in NYC, because I like the idea of other countries having their own Diagon Alley-esque places.

I've always wanted to write something like this, so this just poured out. This is going to be a small novella, about 10-15K words. This has been beta-read as of 15th March '14 by the lovely _MelodyPond77_.

Oh, also, my dreamcast for Lily is definitely Rachel Hurd-Wood. For Goldie, I see him as David Kross and for the blonde with him I like to think Gage Golightly. Just putting that out there... :D

Other than that, I hope you enjoyed reading. I will update soon.

Thanks for the read!

- Infinitish.


	2. Godric's Hollow, 2016

**warning: **alcoholic tendencies and substance abuse. light swearing.

**disclaimer:** I do not own anything you recognise.

* * *

**Finding Lily: Chapter 2**

_Escaping from the shadow of her cousins to America, Lily Potter lost her way, that is, until a freak incident led her ten years into the past on the doorstep of her childhood home. Stranded in a time where her real self was eight years old, Lily found how much she actually valued her family and how much they valued her._

* * *

"Oh good, you're awake."

The voice echoed through my mind, seeming to come closer as I slowly opened my eyes. My vision was heavily blurred, from which I concluded that I had been out for at least...seven hours? The vision correction charm I'd used at my lunch break back at the _Twisted Wand_ had worn off completely.

It was really unfortunate that the charm lasted only for fourteen hours at a stretch. For a moment, I wondered whether I should've heeded Mum's advice and used glasses, but that went away quickly: no way was I using hideous frames for my eyes. One of our family's old acquaintances had told me of the charm when I'd been eight, and I'd made Dad put it on me every day to avoid glasses.

Still, I wished I had glasses that moment because I couldn't see a thing clearly. The voice was a woman's, and all I could see was a thin outline and red hair and the top of her head. She was clearly wearing house robes similar to the ones Mum liked.

_Mum _liked. Oh my Godric.

Suddenly, I remembered the incidents of the previous day: getting fired, being broken up with, finding out that most of my belongings had been Vanished because I'd failed to pay rent. The sniff. Goldie's special sniff, with the Pegasus horn dust that took you where you most needed to go.

I was home!

It was so obvious. I'd been most needing to go home, and the sniff had delivered me here. The woman in front of me was my Mum, clearly, with her house robes and the oh-so-familiar red hair. I couldn't believe I hadn't realised earlier. I could dance with happiness.

"Mum?" I called out giddily.

See, I didn't know what I expected her to say. I'd been away so long, she'd probably yell herself hoarse at me. She'd tell me how irresponsible and untraceable I'd been. She'd then mention how worried _all_ the Weasleys had been, not just the immediate family. I'd tell her I was sorry, that I messed up, that I was ignorant and I would never do it again. Mum would try to be stern once more, but seeing my puppy dog face she would give in to the emotions and burst into tears and hug me tightly, telling me how much she'd miss me.

I guess I was quite certain that that was what would happen, and I guess that's why Mum's reaction shook me. I had definitely not been prepared for what she said next.

"What?"

It was like she'd never heard me say it before. Like she hadn't expected me to call her that. Mum reacted a lot like someone who was surprised at being called Mum. I panicked at that, obviously; I quickly thought about all the fights we'd had before I'd left. I'd always been angry, and so had she, but I'd never called her anything but 'Mum'. I never called her 'woman' or 'lady' or anything like that. She was always Mum to me.

She must have sensed my panic and confusion, because she looked worried and explained herself. "I'm sorry, dear, but I'm not your mother," she said. "My husband found you unconscious outside the main gate of our house, he deduced that you'd been mugged and brought you in after he saw a wand poking out of your purse."

I instantly felt disappointment flood over me. She wasn't Mum. I was not home.

Basically, I'd been hoping for – no, _needing_ free transport home with the Pegasus horn dust stuff, and I'd woken up after god-knows-how-long at a complete stranger's house – never mind that it was a wizarding family. I didn't know where I was, or how I'd go home, because I wasn't sure I'd trust the sniff again if it had survived the journey. I'd clearly been deceived. Fuck you, Goldie.

"Excuse me? There are children in this house, I'll have you know. I don't want to hear you swear again."

I snapped back to reality and shut my eyes tight. "Oh my Godric, please tell me I did _not_ say that allowed," I muttered to myself. I was shocked at what I'd just done sure, I swore a lot, but I'd been taught enough manners to not do that in front of respectable adults. I'd just made a bad impression of myself in front of someone who'd selflessly taken me in and saved me from potentially catching cold, being robbed, and being interrogated by the Ministry. Seriously, if one of the Muggles on the street had taken the wand from my purse, I'd be in deep shit for accidentally breaking the Statute of Secrecy.

Hoping to explain myself, I looked up and turned to Mum-lookalike, but before I could get any words out if my mouth, another voice rang through the room.

"Mummy?" It was the soft sound of a little girl. "Daddy said that he'd take me out to the park so that I wouldn't wake Jamie and Al. Can we go, Mummy? Please?"

I heard her words and froze. This _could not be real_. It simply could not.

What was the possibility that I'd arrived in front of a house with a Mum-lookalike and her daughter who referred to two other (possible) family members called Jamie and Al? I'd called my brothers Jamie and Al for as long as I'd known their names. I was sure I was the only one who was allowed to called James 'Jamie', including his fiancée Ellis. She called him by his full name. I found it really hard to process that another girl had brothers nicknamed Jamie and Al. Al could mean Alex or Albert too, of course, and they could be her uncles or something, but _details_.

The other thing I noted was how the girl was asking her Mum's permission for going out with her Dad. I'd always done this when I'd been younger. I'd been an early riser before Hogwarts, so my father always took me to the park to prevent me from waking my brothers accidentally or on purpose. While we were out, Mum attempted breakfast. Keyword: attempted. It usually ended up with her burning something by mistake and summoning Kreacher for help. The old house-elf was stiff and slightly cruel, but definitely loyal to his 'Mistress Potter', as he called Mum.

I suddenly recalled James always joking how Kreacher's title for her made Mum seem more of Dad's secret mistress than wife. Mum got angry every single time, but we all could tell that it amused her at least a bit. It amused Dad too, a bit too much, I think. He had once ordered Kreacher to not call her anything other than 'Mistress Potter', no matter what. Then Mum had found out about it from a very sneaky Al and hexed Dad. She had refused to lift the hex unless he told his house-elf to disregard the order. Kreacher never did.

But I digress. After finishing her conversation with her daughter, the Mum-lookalike returned to my bedside. She offered her hand to help me up, but I brushed her offer aside. Not only was I feeling better now, but I also didn't want to owe the woman more than I already did.

I decided to remove the awkwardness in the room by asking, "Am I somewhere in Godric's Hollow?"

There wasn't much harm asking that could do. Either she'd tell me that yes, I was indeed in Godric's Hollow, or she would ask me where in the world that was. No harm done.

It seemed to be my lucky day, though. "Gryffindor Court," Mum-lookalike nodded, and I felt a surge of excitement. "It's an amazing place, isn't it? We moved her two weeks ago. We're really happy so far."

The sniff had merely displaced the location intended a bit! I _was _home! I found myself grinning ear to ear this time. I clenched my fists with victory, and I probably would've got off the bed and happy-danced had I not been in an unfamiliar place with a stranger.

Still, Mum-lookalike was puzzled by my outburst. So I told her the truth. Again, this could do no harm. "It's just, I realised that I'm home. The s– uh, the Portkey I used was probably enchanted incorrectly. Did you say the house number? I'm from 7, Gryffindor Court. I don't think I've been introduced to you, I've been away for the last three months."

I couldn't wait to get off the bed, thank this lady and her husband and run home. I couldn't wait to see Mum and Dad. But of course, fate had other plans for me. It seemed to be a day full of surprises.

"Oh, you mustn't have received a notification. The Parkers moved to the Black Home a month ago. The enchantment was correct, you _are_ at 7, Gryffindor Court," Mum-lookalike said. "Except, whoever you were visiting doesn't live here anymore. We do."

I had lived at 7, Gryffindor Court ever since I'd been eight. Before that, we had all stayed at Dad's inherited Grimmauld Place house, but it had been too big and confusing for my little self. Besides, my Dad didn't require a place in London anymore. So he had found a nice five-bedroom house in his birthplace, Godric's Hollow, and bought it from an old couple who in turn moved into Grimmauld Place, which had been transformed to the _Black Home for Magical Children, Witches and Wizards _by Teddy's grandmother and Scorpius' mother and grandmother. It was a mix of an orphanage, a halfway home and an old age home. The old couple who'd previously owned 7, Gryffindor Court had lived at the Black Home till the time I'd been twelve.

The couple had been Mr. Lionel and Mrs. Helena Parker.

Which meant, I was either dreaming or hallucinating. Either way, I refused to believe myself.

So I did the most sensible thing I could in that state: I asked Mum-lookalike (who was possibly really Mum) for my wand. She complied and took it out from my purse, which lay on the floor beside my bed. I quickly pointed the birch wood wand to my left eye and quietly murmured the incantation to the vision correction charm. Then I did the same to my right eye, and closed my eyes shut while counting to three.

When I opened my eyes, I could see everything clearly, which made me question why I hadn't asked for my wand before. It would have saved me a hell lot of time and emotions.

It didn't surprise me too much this time when I found my mother sitting in front of me. This wasn't Mum-lookalike; she was _Mum_: complete with her favourite tiny earrings. Looking a bit closer, I could see that there were the difference: this Mum was surely less wrinkled than my own Mum. Then I turned away from her and looked around the room.

"This is exactly how I remember it," I whispered, in awe. I was in the guest room at home. I could tell that I was instantly, with my vision clear. The subtle yellow paint was just as soothing to my eye as it had been when I'd last been here. There was an enchanted painting of Hogwarts which Aunt Fleur and Uncle Bill had graciously given to us on the occasion of house-warming. This was one of the few things from that side of the family that I actually liked, but Mum didn't favour it as much me. So she'd hung it in the guest room instead of the living room.

"You've been here before?" this Mum interrupted my thoughts. I thought for a moment if she could be my Mum if she didn't know who I was, as a person or to her. Shewasn't _my_ Mum clearly, but she was still Mum.

I contemplated a bit before answering, and decided to go with what Mum thought I was: a guest of the Parkers who didn't know they'd moved. "I've _lived _here before," I stated. Which wasn't a lie, I _had_ lived here for two days in the summer before fourth year. That was when I'd changed things around in my own room and decided to avoid the clutter there.

"Oh?" she questioned, curious.

"Yeah," I answered, not elaborating at all. Then, to see if I was hallucinating or just insane, I asked, "Could I have a newspaper, please, if that's not much trouble?"

I had to see the date. I had to. That was the only way I could make sense of this.

"Oh, sure," Mum said, and quickly added, "_Accio_ today's _Daily Prophet_."

The newspaper zoomed into the room and straight into Mum's hands. She moved her hand to flatten it slightly, then handed it to me.

Cautiously, I opened it. The _Daily Prophet _header was exactly the same as I'd always known it. I could read the headline to be _SHACKLEBOLT IN SHACKLES? _but I ignored it. I moved my finger under the _Prophet _header to locate the date. And there it was, near the right edge: _25th May, 2016_.

Twenty-fifth of May, two thousand and sixteen.

My suspicions, the ones I'd refused to admit to myself, had turned out true.

Lily Luna Potter, welcome to the past.

I must've reacted in some way, because the next I knew, Mum was saying, "Don't worry, he's not in shackles. The Prophet just likes to be dramatic with their front-page headlines."

It took me a second or two to realise that she'd been talking about Shacklebolt, thinking I'd reacted the way I had because of the headline. I smiled weakly at her. "Mrs. Potter, isn't it? I can't thank you enough."

I decided against telling her that I was her daughter from ten years in the future. Who wouldn't be creeped out by that? I know I would be. But I still had to make an identity for myself, fast. Mum was sure to ask for my name. Last name, I could definitely call myself Parker and introduce myself as a distant niece of the Parkers'. As for the first name...

"I'm Lilliana," I told Mum, this time smiling a bit wider. "Helena Parker is my Aunt."

Mum smiled warmly back at me. "It's nice to meet you, Lilliana. And it's my husband you must be thanking, he brought you home first. Always the considerate one," she said fondly. I smiled to myself. My mother and father were so in love, it was actually sickening. It had always been.

"You've hit your head pretty hard, I think the Portkey affected you badly. Where did you say you came from, again?" she asked me.

"I didn't," I replied. "But I came in from New York City, finished nearly all my galleons in order to get it. It's worth it, though," I added. With that, I took off the blanket that had been placed on me and touched my feet to the floor. Then I stretched. I knew that I technically wasn't in my own house, but I remembered that slightly late.

"Sorry, Mrs. Potter," I blushed.

"That's alright, Lilliana," Mum said. "Our house-elf is setting up breakfast, I'll tell him to set up an extra plate. I'm sure he's–"

I interrupted her. "Oh, no, Mrs. Potter. I wouldn't want to intrude upon your family having–"

However, this time she interrupted me. "Nonsense. You don't have anywhere to go, and Kreacher always makes a bit too much for us to eat. You're having breakfast with us."

I nodded meekly, noting how similar Mum was to Nana Molly. She had basically ordered me to eat with her family – well, my family ten and a half years in the past. But still.

Mum walked out of the room, but when she was at the door, she called out, "Oh, and one more thing, Lilliana. Call me Ginny, everyone does."

I nodded again, a bit vary of the prospect of calling my mother by her first name. It would be a bit fun, though. I had never called her anything but 'Mum'. James had attempted calling her 'Ginny', but he'd stopped after the first day. Nana Molly had caught him doing it and chastised him for bad manners.

Why Lilliana, though? It was quite easy. She was the only Parker I knew besides the old owners of the house. I'd met her only once a few weeks after we'd moved to Godric's Hollow, and she'd been a bit older than Teddy then. She'd been that acquaintance to show me the vision correction charm and teach it to Dad. I think she'd also given James the idea of making the Burrow Hunter, which was like the Marauders' Map, but for the Burrow, which he used to prank Fred and the others and hide from them occasionally.

Turning back to my bedside, I saw the vial of sniff, undamaged from the time travel and my wand which I'd put there earlier. I lifted my purse from the ground and went through the contents. There was a Muggle t-shirt with a picture of an old band called Coldplay on it, and dark blue jeans. The only, er, _respectable_ clothes that had been in my drawer at Goldie's home.

I made my way to the attached loo and took a glance at the mirror. I looked tired, definitely, and my make-up was making me look worse than better. I quickly washed it out and then took off the black dress robes from the night before. I could definitely _not_ wear that in front of my family, regardless of whether they knew it or not.

As I took a light shower and slipped into the Muggle clothes, I realised that I hadn't had alcohol in a long time. I didn't know exactly how long, but I could feel my throat craving desperately for the burning sensation. But I knew that the craving wouldn't do me any good. I was home, however in the past that was, and I had to stay sober. Besides, I doubted I had any means of obtaining firewhiskey here. I didn't dare steal from Dad's liquor cabinet, no matter how dire the consequences.

So I decided to control the cravings for as long as I was here. Then I would get back, and drink my worries away at a shady wizarding pub where I would earn the alcohol by flirting with middle-aged men. There was probably no way for me to return home. My _real_ home, that is, where my family was worried sick. I had no money, and there was no _freaking_ way I was going to ask anyone for help.

When I looked respectable enough, I cautiously went out of the guest room and down the stairs. Cautiously because though this was a version of my real home, I felt awkward here – there was already one Lily Potter running around, no one needed a second!

When I finally got to the dining room, I saw that Al was in a heated discussion with Mum about the Porskoff Play, a Quidditch move that I knew was one of his favourites in the future.

"–but I am, Mum! Uncle Ron taught Rosie and James the basic Starfish and Stick last week, remember? Why can't you teach _me_? It's just the Porskoff Play!" Al whined. James was looking at him with a bored expression: Porskoff was a Chaser move, and James was Keeper.

When the Weasleys (plus Potters and Lupin) played Quidditch, Rose and James kept the hoops for opposite teams while Al, Teddy, Roxanne and Hugo were Chasers depending on which Keeper chose who. Louis, Fred, Dom and Lucy played Beaters. Lucy was more of a Keeper too, really, but we didn't need more Keepers and she'd got so used to Beater that she just went with it. Victoire was the natural Seeker, while I became a Seeker for the other team. My main forte was Chasing, but like Lucy, I didn't complain anymore. Molly hated Quidditch.

Mum turned to me when I walked in. "How are you now, Lilliana?" she asked politely.

"Much better, thanks," I said, and took one of the three empty seats on the table. It looked like Dad and my younger self hadn't come back yet.

"Don't sit there, that's Lily's place," James and his bluntness, everyone.

I looked up to see that he was eyeing me curiously. "Who are you?" he asked. In her chair, Mum let out a voice of exasperation while I got up and occupied another empty chair.

"Honestly, James, is that how you've been taught to behave with guests?" Mum scolded. James rolled his eyes. "Well, I didn't know she was a guest," he argued.

Mum gave him a stern look, but he was saved from a lecture with the entry of his (and my) father. I instinctively stood up.

"Thank you so much, D– Mr. Potter. Your wife told me what you did for me," I thanked him. It was weird referring to him as Mr. Potter, but I couldn't exactly call him anything else, could I?

"It wasn't a problem," Dad assured me. "I'm glad you joined us for breakfast. How do you feel now?"

Seriously, what was it with my parents and them asking me how I was? "I'm much better, thanks for asking," I said, and took a seat again. Dad took a seat, too, before helping Lily on to the chair I'd been sitting in previously.

"So, who _are _you?" James repeated, this time even more curious. Mum groaned a bit, but before she could go off again, I gestured to her that it was okay.

"Lilliana Parker. I'm a relative of the Parkers'. They used to stay here before you..." I said, picking my words carefully. "I wasn't aware that they'd moved, and the Portkey I took here malfunctioned slightly. I hit my head hard and your father here brought me in while your mother Healed me," I explained.

"Oh," my brother said, in his immature, eleven-year-old voice. "I'm James Potter. This is my sister Lily–" he pointed to my younger self, "–and this is Al. He's very clearly adopted, because no Potter shows Slytherin tendencies." James pointed to Al, who whined.

"I'm not adopted!" he protested. "And I won't be in Slytherin! James, it's you who–"

The argument was cut short by their mother, who threw a vicious glare their way, asking them to shut up. The table fell into silence for a couple minutes as we all served ourselves the pancakes made by Kreacher. Eventually, it was Al who broke the silence.

"Did you go to Hogwarts?" he asked me. I admit, I hadn't thought of that. I contemplated answering in affirmative for a moment, but I couldn't take the risk. Teddy was probably around my age at this time.

"No," I lied. "I went to the Salem Witches' Institute. That's in Boston, U.S.A."

This was one school I knew about, as it was Goldie's school, the Myrddin Wyllt Academy's sister school. He'd told me a lot about it, so I could answer any question they asked me. Well, not every single one, but you know.

Surprisingly, no one questioned me about the school. From what I had calculated, none of my siblings was in Hogwarts yet, so I expected them to bombard me with questions about Salem. They didn't.

"Are you from America?" The voice alerted me a bit. It was small, innocent, and girlish unlike my current voice which was more boyish than anything. Younger Lily had spoken.

"Yes," I told her. "I am."

Lily frowned, thinking. She asked me, "Then why don't you sound like Auntie Audrey?"

"Yeah, you don't have the accent," James agreed, and even Al let out a tiny "Yeah."

I smiled at them, though internally I was panicking. What was I going to do? I still had the blasted British accent to my voice. I almost swore aloud when an idea came to me.

"I can turn it off whenever I want to," I said, trying my best to mimic Goldie's American drawl. It worked.

"I leeved in Eengland before movin' to ze States, so I can speek both wayz," I explained, this time imitating Aunt Fleur's French accent. I decided to have some fun while I could. Why not?

Besides, I'd always wanted to make people laugh with my talent in accents. None of the Weasley cousins ever found it funny, but I thought I'd try my luck with the younger James, Al, and I. I knew Uncle Charlie hadn't tried this yet – I'd been nine or ten when he'd first done that, and I'd pestered him to teach me too.

I was thankful to my amazing unmarried uncle when the three children on the table me laughed. "That's Aunt Fleur, isn't it?" Al sniggered, and I could see that Mum and Dad were smiling too. I had always got the opinion that Mum didn't like Aunt Fleur much, and Dad laughed at everything.

"It's awesome! Can you do anything else?" James asked eagerly. I thought for a second, then imagined Aisling Finnigan's Irish drawl.

"Of course I can," I said, in the exact same voice as Aisling. My brothers and younger Lily laughed again.

"It's fantastic, isn't it?" I asked aloud, this time with a Northern accent like on that Muggle T.V. show with the crazy time traveler and his friends.

"Okay, okay, I'm going to try now!" James announced, dropping his fork on the plate. Everyone else turned to look at him. "Do I sound Scottish to you?" he asked, in a partially correct accent. Nonetheless, we all laughed.

"That was weird, Jamie!" Lily called between laughs. "Ooh, I wanna do it!"

Lily tried her hand at French accent, after which Al imitated James attempting the Scottish accent. Breakfast finished before we realised, and even after that, we stayed on the table laughing. Dad excused himself, saying he had to go to the Ministry, but I could tell that he wanted to stay and watch the fun. Mum tried giving James and Al dishes duty, but they responded in accents that made her laugh too. All in all, it was fun. I will never forget what I thought that morning, sitting on a table ten years before my time. I will always remember telling myself that _this_ was what happiness felt like.

* * *

**author's notes: **I did promise you I'd update fast, didn't I? And I did! *pats self*

AND THE DOCTOR WHO REFERENCE! Tell me you got that :D

The aforementioned 'Myrddin Wyllt Academy' is a made-up school, I don't know whether it exists or not. Myrddin Wyllt is believed to be Merlin's real name, soo.

Other than that, feel free to ask any question you want. I'm always available on PM and you know that a review would make my day!

My dreamcasts for the Potters stay the same as the movie series: Dan Radcliffe, Bonnie Wright, Arthur Bowen (Al), Will Dunn (James) and Daphne de Beistegui as young Lily.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. This has been betaread as of 20th of March 2014 by the amazing _MelodyPond77_.

- Isha xx


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